To Tell the Truth
by Dr. Michaela Quinn
Summary: When Mike stays out all night with a girl, Maggie and Jason have a hard time believing that nothing happened...
1. Mike's Late Evening

Mike walked down the stairs in a new pair of blue jeans and a freshly pressed shirt. Carol and Ben were sitting on the couch. Maggie walked out of Jason's office.

"Ooh Mike, where are you going?" Carol asked.

"None of your business bird brain." Mike replied.

"Mike." Maggie warned crossing her arms.

"On a date." Mike said.

"With who?" Carol asked turning around in her seat.

"That new girl." Mike responded.

"Beth Sanders?" Carol exclaimed.

"I guess so." Mike said.

"But she's so smart. She's not your kind of girl." Carol stated.

"Oh yeah she is." Mike replied.

"Why? Has she had a brain transplant since school let out?" Carol questioned with a smile.

"Actually Carol, we learned in science that a brain transplant would be impossible." Ben pointed out.

"I know Ben. I was just saying that's what it would take for her to like Mike." Carol replied.

"Carol." Maggie said.

"I'm sorry Mike." Carol responded.

"I think you look sharp Mike." Maggie stated walking over to him.

"Thanks mom." Mike said.

"Where are you taking her?" Maggie questioned.

"Probably just dinner and a movie." Mike replied.

"Just remember your curfew." Maggie said. Just then, a motorcycle roar was outside.

"What was that?" Ben asked.

"My date." Mike replied. When the doorbell rang, Maggie walked over and answered the door. Standing there was a small redhead with thick glasses.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Seaver, come in." Maggie said. The young girl walked into the house.

"Hi Carol." Beth called out.

"Hello." Carol responded.

"Mike." Beth said and hugged Mike.

"Come on Ben. Let's go upstairs before I get sick." Carol said. They walked up the stairs by the kitchen.

"Okay you two. Have fun. Be back by eleven Mike." Maggie said.

"I will." Mike replied and walked out of the house and closed the door behind him.

[

At eleven thirty, Mike still wasn't home. Ben was already in bed. Carol and Jason were on the couch watching Maggie pace the floor.

"Maggie, sit down." Jason said.

"I told him eleven. He told me he'd be home by now. I trusted our fifteen year old son to go out on a date. I let MIKE leave the house. He causes more trouble than anything." Maggie exclaimed.

"Maybe something happened." Jason reasoned.

"What? What could have happened for Mike to be out all hours? He's fifteen years old! What is so important that he didn't call?" Maggie hollered. "I know what he's doing."

"What?" Carol asked intrigued.

"Carol, go to your room." Maggie said looking at her.

"But Mom-"Carol started to say.

"I said go to your room." Maggie said sternly. Carol got up off the couch and walked up the stairs. "I'm going out looking for him."

"Maggie, isn't that a little drastic?" Jason asked.

"You didn't see that girl Jason. She came and picked him up on a motorcycle. All those girls are trouble. He is out with her somewhere and I won't have it." Maggie stated.

"How do you even know that's what they are doing?" Jason asked her.

"I just do Jason." Maggie replied.

"Look, why don't you come to bed. If by twelve thirty he isn't home we will go looking for him." Jason asked.

"Okay." Maggie said. She walked up the stairs to go to bed. Jason turned off the television and the light. He closed the door to his office and walked up the stairs.

[

"Drop me off here." Mike said to the cab driver. He handed him a wad of cash and got out. He stood on the sidewalk of his home. It was dark except his parents' bedroom light. Mike took a deep breath and walked towards the front door. He used his key to get in and closed the door behind him. A loud snore came from the couch. Mike got closer and realized Ben was asleep on the couch. Mike walked up the stairs and headed straight for his room. He took off his shoes and lay on the bed for a minute. Then he got up and walked towards his parents' bedroom. When he opened the door, he noticed that the room was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't bust him if they weren't there. So he went back to his room and got under the blanket. He could not believe the night he had just been through. Just before he closed his eyes he looked at the clock on his headboard. It read 5:49.

[

"Mike! Mike!" Mike heard somebody hollering his name, but he couldn't tell who it was. He sat up and opened his eyes. He saw his parents and Carol standing there. It wasn't very difficult to tell that his mom had been crying and didn't get very much sleep.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked oblivious to anything going on.

"Michael Aaron Seaver, you are grounded for life starting right now." Maggie fumed.

"What's going on? What'd I do this time?" Mike asked.

"Oh you know what you did Mike." Maggie exclaimed.

"Staying at all night with a girl has never been allowed Mike." Jason said firmly.

"I wasn't out all night with a girl." Mike stated. "Well I was but not the way you think."

"You're grounded. End of story." Maggie said and they walked out.


	2. Carol

Carol walked into Mike's room later in the day.

"How could you?" Carol asked. "Did you really think mom and dad would let you off that easily?"

"Go away Carol." Mike replied without looking up.

"You didn't do it, did you?"

"I said go away. Get out of here!" Mike threw a shoe at her, but she ducked so it hit the door.

"I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me." She sat down next to him. That forced him to look at her.

"You're right, I didn't. Nothing happened. Are you happy?" He exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I saw scared. Even if she wanted to do something, I was afraid to. I couldn't even look at her without my palms sweating and my heart beating out of my chest. I could hear it in my ears."

"So why don't you tell mom?"

"I can't tell her nothing happened because I'd have to explain why it didn't. Dad or my friends might think something's wrong with me."

"Mike, nothing's wrong with you."

"So why didn't I kiss her?"

"You're talking about kissing?"

"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" Carol sat back without saying anything.

"Maybe you should tell mom. She thinks you stayed all night with her Mike, I think mom believes you slept with her."

"I'm grounded; I'll just keep the punishment."

"But you didn't do anything!"

"I don't want Boner and the other guys to know that."

"So instead of letting those jerks believe you've never been with a girl you'd rather let mom and dad be upset thinking you have?" Mike looked away from her. "Mike?"

"Go away Carol."

"Mike! Ben! Carol!" A voice called through the hallway. "Dinner." Carol looked at Mike.

"I'll tell her if you don't."

"You better not."

"Mike, you need to talk to mom."

"I won't and you better not either." Carol walked out more confused than she went in, but she knew she had to talk to her mom.


End file.
